Running Away
by Tara the Runaway
Summary: Adelaide "Luna" Brooks has a rough life that she constantly dreams of escaping. Alone and hurt, she wants nothing more than to just leave it all. But after all these years of torment, she's finally leaving behind everything in her current life for a new one in a town she's never even heard of! ...Yeah, I know, lame summary.
1. Welcome to Starship Valley!

**Chapter One**

**Welcome to Starship Valley!**

YEAR: 2074

My father's footsteps pounded on the ground behind me. I picked up the pace and ran a little faster. _You're not bringing me back home this time,_ I thought to myself. I glanced at the train ticket in my hand. I had bought it so I would have somewhere to go, but I didn't even know where it led to. I saw the train arrive at the station. _Thank goodness…_

The doors to the train opened. I was so close to the train. _Just a little further, and I'll be free!_ I told myself. The train's doors started to close. My dad's feet still pounded behind me. I did a roll and got on the train just in time, with my father's fists slamming into the doors. I took a seat and breathed a mental sigh of relief. I finally got away…

Breathing heavily, I plopped down into a seat and closed my eyes. I had walked miles to get here, and a least a third of that was spent running once my dad spotted me on his way home from work.

I sucked in a deep breath and smiled to myself. Wiping the sweat off of my forehead, I allowed myself to drift to sleep with no worries for the first time in thirteen years.

"Well, hello there!"

I fell out of my seat at the sudden voice. My eyes adjusted, and there, standing in front of me, was a cat. A _talking_ cat.

"Am I dreaming?" I whispered to myself.

"Well, if you're dreaming, then that would mean that I am too, so I guess not," the cat replied. My eyes widened. Yeah, I was definitely not dreaming.

"Well, as long as I'm here, do you mind if I take a seat?" he (I'm assuming it was a he) asked me.

"Go away, Kitty!" I screeched at him. I didn't want a talking cat sitting next to me on a train with no one else on it! _Wait a minute… that's strange,_ I thought to myself. _There's no one else here…_

"Hah, don't be silly!" he said, taking the seat next to mine. I scooted over a little bit and eyed him cautiously.

"So, I see you've got a ticket for Starship Valley," he spoke.

"Huh?" I instinctively said. I glanced down at the ticket in my hand. Sure enough, it said Starship Valley on it.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I do," I softly replied, still glancing at my ticket. It was strange. I had never in my life heard of a place called Starship Valley.

"Well, tell me about yourself," the cat asked.

"I will," I told him, "but first, you have to tell me who you are."

"Okay then. My name is Rover. I love riding trains because it's so relaxing, so that's why I'm here on this train." The cat told me.

"Oh. Well, that's pretty cool then." I said. _I guess it's my turn now,_ I thought. _Guess I can tell him the whole story._

"Well, my name is Adelaide Brooks, but everyone calls me Luna," I began. "I'm 17 years old, and my hometown is Moonlight Mountains. I love to design Halloween costumes and stay up late. I've been neglected and abused by my parents and my brother, and I pretty much just left all of my friends and family by getting on this train." I finished.

"Well, if you were neglected and abused, then I can see why you got on this train," Rover admitted nonchalantly. But Starship Valley is a great place with kind and friendly people. You'll love it." Rover assured me with a warm smile.

"Now arriving in Starship Valley! Please take your belongings and have a nice day!" the train engineer said through the speakers.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, Luna. Good luck!" Rover called out to me as I got off the train with my bag, the only thing I had brought with me.

When I got into the train station, I checked my bag. All that I had was a hairbrush, a toothbrush, an extra pair of clothes, my music box, a peach, a cherry, a pear, and my designs.

I sighed and exited the train station. But when I walked down all of the steps, I stopped in my tracks and my eyes widened in shock.

"Wow, she's pretty!" a pink, spotted bunny fawned.

"She looks like fun!" an elephant with a green helmet exclaimed.

"Do you think she'll be my friend?" a black and white bunny whispered to the pink one.

"Guys, stop it. I think she's confused. Give her some space," a snow white squirrel softly said. He glanced over at me. When he saw I was looking at him too, he flashed me a shy smile, which put me in shock for a moment, before I heard another voice.

"Thank you, Marshal," a yellowish-white dog with a ponytail said to the squirrel. "Hi there! We've been waiting for you to arrive!" the puppy said.

"Wait, what?" I asked, surprised and confused. "I think you have the wrong person. I didn't even know I was coming here until about an hour ago! How could you have been waiting for me?"

"Oh, don't be silly, Mayor! You're the only one who got off the train! What are you talking about?" the puppy asked me.

"What am I talking about? What are you talking about? And Mayor? I'm no mayor! This is all a mistake!" I pleaded with her.

"Oh, stop it with the jokes," she giggled.

"I'm not joking! I'm not creative enough to come up with this big of a joke!"

"Mayor, please," she begged with a pout. "Just come to the Town Hall when you're ready, okay? Good. Bye-bye!" she squeaked as she waved and trotted off.

"Wait!" I called after her. "Where's the Town Hall? And what are you talking about?" I sighed as she continued to walk, apparently not hearing anything I was saying.

"Really?" I mumbled with a groan.

"You really don't know what's going on, do you?" a questioning voice behind me asked. I spun around, and behind me was the squirrel from earlier.

"Hi, my name's Marshal," he told me. "Welcome to Starship Valley."

**Author's Notes:**

**This is my first story, so please don't be too critical! I tried really hard to come up with an idea for a story that wasn't too common, so I'm pretty proud that I came up with this in only about an hour or so. I'll try to upload as much as I can after I get school out of the way. Rate and review, please!**

**- Tara**


	2. Dogs and Peanuts

**Chapter 2**

**Dogs and Peanuts**

"Um, do you happen to know why this town is filled with animals? No offense, it's just that I'm used to towns having citizens that are, well… humans," I asked Marshal.

"Let me explain," Marshal told me. "Starship Valley is a place that, obviously, isn't like other places. Whenever someone is running away, somehow, our little town always knows. Then we make sure that they get a ticket that leads them here. Now, you're probably wondering why. It's because Starship Valley is such a carefree place! Everyone always acts like a family, even if they've only talked to each other twice. Well, at least most people do…" he trailed off. He realized his mistake, and continued. "I know that you really ran away. But out town was expecting a mayor, and I guess that everyone got confused and thought that you were our new mayor. But don't worry. I'll help you out."

I couldn't believe that this little squirrel that I had only known for 6 minutes was offering to help me out in my time of need! "That's so sweet of you…" I softly said to him, blushing. I noticed that I was blushing and looked away. He looked surprised, but then his face eased and he gave me a welcoming smile.

"Marshal!" an annoying voice called out from behind us. I glanced behind myself, and there was a red and brown punkish dog heading our way.

When she got to us, she immediately started talking. "Marshal, where have you been?" she screeched at him. But then she saw me.

"Oh, who's this, huh, Marshal? Are you cheating on me with this piece of trash?" she yelled at both of us.

"What? No! Cheri, this is the new Mayor!" Marshal tried to explain to… Cheri, I guess.

"Wow. If you're really the new Mayor, we really were desperate." She grumbled. "Come on, I don't want my boyfriend to be influenced by an ugly outsider." She said to Marshal, emphasizing the word 'boyfriend'. She then grabbed his arm and dragged him with her.

He turned around to look at me with sad eyes. But then he threw me a piece of paper. I glanced back at him, but he was already walking by Cheri's side again.

I unfolded the piece of paper, and there was a note on the inside.

_Meet me at my house at midnight. Cheri goes to sleep at 9, and your house is right next to mine, so it should work out fine. –M_

I folded the note again and put it in my pocket. _Guess I'm busy tonight,_ I thought to myself.

"Hey!" a high pitched voice squealed as I was tackled to the ground. I spit out some dirt that had gotten in my mouth and looked at who was above me. On top of me was a pink and purple squirrel with beady eyes and a striped top.

"What are you doing?" I calmly asked.

"Do you want me to take you to the Town Hall? Isabelle is waiting for you, and I don't want you to be late or anything!" the squirrel kindly asked me.

"Who's Isabelle?" I asked.

"Oh, she's your secretary. You know, the yellowish puppy from earlier?" she said. _Oh yeah, I remember._

"Oh," I said, "sure. Thank you." I replied.

"No sweat, I don't want you wandering around lost!" she happily told me. "By the way, my name is Peanut. What's yours?"

"Oh, my name's Adelaide," I replied, giving her a warm smile, "but you can call me Luna."

"Oh wow, that's such a pretty name!" she dreamily said.

My heart felt a little warmer after hearing her say that. "Thank you," I said. It was so unusual to have someone compliment me.

"You're very welcome, Luna! Well then, shall we go?" she said, standing on her tiptoes.

"Yep," I replied, snickering at her. _She's so adorable!_

Peanut started skipping along a path, so I followed her. After a few minutes of walking, she stopped in front of a small building.

"Here we are," she breathily squealed. We were in front of a building that looked like it was made for an attorney to look at paperwork, but at the same time, it looked kind of cozy.

"Well, I need to go now," Peanut told me. "But if you need me, just give me a call. Here!" she said, handing me a small, circular device.

"With that, you can just go on the contacts bar, find my name, and give me a call!" she exclaimed. "Well, bye-bye, Luna! I'll see you later!"

"You too, Peanut!" I called out to her. I then made my way inside the Town Hall.


	3. Mayor Midnight

Author's Notes

**- READ! -**

I thought that it might be a little bit confusing if I just stayed in Luna's POV the whole time, so from now on I'll switch between POV's, but the only other POV I'll do is Marshal's. Just giving you guys a heads up.

**Chapter 3**

**Mayor Midnight**

**Luna's POV**

When I walked into the Town Hall, I saw Isabelle standing behind a counter, smiling. "Hello there, Mayor!" she exclaimed once she saw me.

"Hello," I replied, lightly smiling at her. I took a deep breath, waiting for her to say something.

"Okay, I'm going to have to ask you a few questions, just so I can fill out this paperwork." She told me. "Now, when is your birthday?"

"Oh, it's December 13th," I replied.

"You're a Sagittarius?" she asked. I nodded. "Well that's cool! I wish that I was one too. There aren't many, you know." Isabelle ended with a smile.

"Next…" she mumbled, flipping through a packet. "Oh! Where is your hometown?"

"My hometown is Moonlight Mountains," I replied, trying not to take up a lot of her time.

"You're from Moonlight Mountains? That's where I was born!" Isabelle exclaimed. "Really?" I asked. She nodded, and the bells in her hair-tie jingled. "That's so cool! We have a lot in common," I told her. She smiled at me.

"Next… Why did you move here?"

My smile faded and I tensed up. I didn't want to have to tell anyone why I came here. It was too big a part of my life, I couldn't just let anyone know it.

"Um… is that question mandatory?" I asked her nervously,

"Well… I guess not, but I'll have to ask you another question if you don't answer this one," Isabelle told me.

"That's fine."

"Okay then… what is your plan for the town?" Isabelle inquired.

I thought about this for a minute, but then I got an idea. "I want the town to have live concerts every Saturday by a famous musician, and you'll be able to see the Northern Lights every night! And every Sunday of the summer, there will be a fireworks show! Also, during the winter, we'll hang lights on every tree!" I exclaimed.

"Wow, Mayor… you have such great ideas! Our old Mayor was pretty old, so he didn't really know what was popular nowadays… but you're so young and fresh… you're exactly what Starship Valley needed to be pulled back together again!" Isabelle thanked me.

I lightly blushed. Everyone here was so kind to me. Marshal had been right…

…Marshal! I still had to go to his house at midnight. I checked my watch. _Good… it's only 10:48._ I had a mental sigh of relief.

"Okay, Mayor, you're done," Isabelle told me.

"Thank you, Isabelle. And from now on… just call me Luna!" I shouted to her with a smile.

I saw Isabelle form a small smile on her face as I walked out of the Town Hall. I took out the device Peanut had given me earlier and went to the contacts bar.

Peanut's face flashed on the screen, and she started talking to me. "Are you ready for me to take you back to the neighborhood?" she asked me. I nodded. "Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes!" Then her face flashed off of the screen.

"Here we are! Home sweet home!" Peanut exclaimed. I checked my watch again. _11:32._ _I only have a little bit of time left until I have to be at Marshal's place,_ I thought to myself.

"Thanks, Peanut! See you tomorrow!" I called out to her as she skipped back to her house.

"You too, Luna! Bye!" she waved.

I opened the door to my house, walked in, and immediately flopped onto my bed. _Sweet dreams…_

I woke up from my nap. My eyes readjusted, and I glanced over at my clock. _11:59._ I got up, brushed my hair a bit, put it in a bun, and ran out the door.

I walked over to Marshal's house, and, just like he said, it was right next door. I knocked on the yellow-quartz door. "It's open," a voice called from inside, so I walked in.

There was Marshal, sitting on the couch, watching TV with a bag of barbecue chips. Marshal saw me, and I raised my eyebrow.

"Adelaide!" Marshal said in horror and surprise. He stashed the bag of chips behind his back. "What are you doing here?'

"Well, it is midnight, isn't it?" I replied, my voice dull.

He glanced over at the clock. "Oh yeah," he fake laughed. "I guess it is…"

**Marshal's POV**

"Adelaide!" I exclaimed in horror and surprise. "Why are you here?" I realized I was still holding the bag of barbecue chips, so I stashed it behind my back.

"Well, it is midnight, isn't it?" she replied. Her voice sounded really dull.

I glanced over at my clock. Sure enough, it was midnight. _Seriously, Marshal? _I mentally scolded myself because of my stupidity. I made the most awesome girl in the town come over here, just to forget that I asked her to.

"Oh yeah... I guess it is," I fake laughed to try to get her to smile again. It didn't work.

"Well, what did you want me to come over here for anyway?" she asked, annoyed.

"Well, since you're new to the town, I thought that maybe we could hang out in honor of you moving here!" I told her, smiling and closing my eyes.

Her annoyed face went away and was replaced with a small smile and a blush. She glanced away to try to hide her blush, but I caught it… just like earlier.

"So, what do you want to do?" I asked her.

"I don't know… maybe you can ask me stuff that you want to know about me, and I'll tell you. You can ask anything that you want," she told me.

"Okay then… why did you come here?"

That seemed to take her by surprise. "It's a secret." She softly told me.

"Being secretive, huh? I didn't expect you to be that kind of girl, Adelaide. Then again, I guess girls don't like it when good-looking guys get too personal, huh?" I flirted with her and smirked.

She blushed and playfully punched my arm.

After about an hour or two of talking, we got pretty tired.

"Hey, thanks for doing this for me," Adelaide said to me.

"Anything for you, gorgeous," I flirted again, and she blushed again. But this time, we just stared into each other's eyes for a moment. And then our lips met.

**Author's Note**

**This chapter was pretty long compared to my others. I want to make this story as long as I can because I don't want to make it short. Anyway, something else… I know that it's kind of weird that they kissed. Marshal is dating Cheri, and he's a squirrel and Luna's a human. But on my AC: NL game, I LOVE Marshal and I thought it would be cute if he and my OC were together, especially because he flirts with my character on my game all the time. They're not going to be together yet, but they'll show that they like each other.**

**- Tara**


	4. Secret

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, I never really said what Luna looked like. Basically, she has long, pink hair. Her basic outfit is a pink dress with beige socks and boots (her image is on the cover of the story). Also, the reason that Marshal calls Luna by her real name (Adelaide) is because Luna is her nickname, but he has a different nickname for her later in the story.**

**Chapter 4**

**Secret**

**Marshal's P.O.V.**

I opened my eyes for a second and I saw that Adelaide's eyes were closed. A few moments later, we pulled apart. The first thing that she said was not what I expected - or part of the Marshal charm.

"What about Cheri?" she asked me.

"Wait, what?"

"Cheri! Marshal, we just kissed, but you're dating her. You can't date both of us," she calmly told me.

I couldn't help but lightly chuckle. If Cheri and Adelaide's places had been reversed, Cheri would have forced me to dump Adelaide so she could date me instead.

"Well…" I pondered, "I guess for now we just can't be together. I have feelings for you, but… we can't be together right now." I sadly decided.

"I completely get it, Marshal. You don't need to feel bad." She told me with a reassuring smile to cheer me up.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm tired," Adelaide yawned and laid on my couch.

"Oh, you don't have to sleep on my couch. We can share my bed." I blurted out. I didn't mean to say that; I really didn't. Sharing a bed with Adelaide for a night… I thought about whether I'd die or not.

**Luna's P.O.V.**

I yawned and plopped down on Marshal's couch, but then he said something that made me blush and my eyes to widen in shock.

"Oh, you don't have to sleep on my couch. We can share my bed." He told me. My eyes shot open and my mouth dropped.

"Did I just hear you right?" I asked him, my eyes still wide.

"Well, I think so," he answered casually. "So, do you want to? I definitely won't force you to if you don't want to."

"Well, I guess we can share it," I quietly responded. _I mean, why would I rather sleep on a couch than a bed? It's just common sense._

"Okay then. Just follow me!" Marshal told me as he walked down a long hallway. But something was bugging me.

"Why are you doing this for me, Marshal? And what if Cheri finds out about this? What will happen then? I don't want her to hate me…" I trailed off. I really did want Cheri to like me. I just think that we got off on the wrong foot.

"Cheri won't find out; she goes to sleep early and wakes up late. And I'm doing this for you, because… well…" He started scratching the back of his neck.

"Well?" I jokingly said.

I was met with silence. Marshal shuffled his feet uncomfortably, and I wiped the silly grin off of my face.

"Okay, seriously, why?" I asked him.

"Well… I, um…" he started. "I… kind of like you… um, just a little…" he softly mumbled.

My cheeks went red. Not just regular pink blushing, but completely red, which was strange because my cheeks never went red.

"Y-you… like… _me_?" I stammered. _Wow, smooth, you just stuttered. Get a grip and just act natural!_ I internally screamed at myself.

"Well, you know… just a little… maybe…" he responded. I giggled at how he was acting shy. The Marshal I first met was never shy.

"So, um, my bed's in here," Marshal told me. "You can have it."

"No, you deserve to have it too," I said to him. I couldn't believe I just said that, but it was true.

His eyes went wide now. But a few moments later, he said, "Okay, I guess. But I'm still going to be up for a little while."

So I curled up in a ball and spent my first night at Starship Valley sleeping in Marshal's bed.

**Marshal's P.O.V.**

Adelaide had gone to sleep about an hour ago. When she slept, the moonlight shone perfectly on her face, and she seemed to glow. She was beautiful.

I yawned and got in the bed, but I tried as best I could not to disturb her sleep. I kissed her head and said, "Good night, Adelaide," before I drifted off to sleep.


	5. Memories

**Chapter 5**

**Memories**

**Luna's P.O.V.**

My eyes fluttered open, and I yawned. At first I didn't even recognize where I was. But it didn't take long for me to notice the white squirrel sleeping beside me, and my memories came flooding back.

_You're at Marshal's place, you idiot,_ I mentally scolded. I went to go brush my teeth when I tripped over something.

"What the heck?" I screeched, but I then slammed my hand over my mouth to keep from waking Marshal. I glanced down at the object I had tripped over, and my eyes landed on a book.

"Memories, huh?" I asked myself as I looked at the title. "Well, one look won't hurt anyone, right?" I opened the book and looked at the first page.

My eyes widened and a smile made its way to my face. On the first page was a picture of Marshal and another squirrel. She had auburn hair tied into a ponytail, sparkling autumn eyes, autumn skin, and a green gingham dress.

"Who is she?" I asked no one. I flipped the page again. There was another picture of the two of them. This time, it was of them sitting and laughing in the grass. I flipped the page one more time, and a few pieces of crumbled-up paper fell out of the book.

"Wait, what?" I said to myself as the papers fell to the floor. I gently took one from off of the floor and un-crumbled it. It said:

_May 4th, 2072_

Well, it was from 2 years ago. I kept reading.

_Kaia is the most amazing person I've ever met. Her hair and skin are the color of autumn's leaves, and her hazel eyes sparkle in the light. She's so kind and funny, and she's so easy to be around and to talk to. I know that we'll always be best friends - maybe even a little more._

That page ended there. I grabbed another one, curious to learn more about "Kaia".

_May 27th, 2012_

_Kaia and I were out in Crystalgate _**(A/N: That's his old town)**_ today, and I asked her to be my girlfriend. When she said yes, I felt like everything in the world was perfect. It was like it could just be the two of us against the world, and we'd still come out strong and win just because we're together._

I grabbed the next sheet, smiling softly at how he obviously cared for her.

_But,_ I thought, _what happened to her?_

_July 7th, 2012_

_Kaia was diagnosed with Tuberculosis today. Even though it'll be tough for her, she'll make it. She's a strong person, and she'll have her family, my family, and me all helping her. She's going to make it. She has to._

There were some small, dried spots on the paper. _Was Marshal… crying? _I thought to myself. I slowly took the next paper from off the floor and cautiously read it.

_September 16th, 2012_

_Kaia's family and I took Kaia to the doctor again today. He told us that she only has a few months left to live, but I know that he's wrong. She's going to make it. I know that, no matter what anyone else says. I believe in her, and if anyone else loves her, they will too._

My heart beating furiously, I finally took the last piece of paper from the floor and read what it had to say.

_December 17th, 2012_

_Today was Kaia's birthday. I brought her some flowers and the bracelet with the aqua marines that she had been wanting since that day in Crystalgate. I can still see her sparkling eyes, even though the sparkle left her eyes long ago. I miss her, but there was nothing I could do._

_I'm sorry, Kaia._

My eyes were brimmed with tears, and every part of me was shaking. I had thought that he was so happy…

_I wonder if anyone knows this other than him and me._ I put down the papers once again and sobbed into my cold hands. But then I remembered…

I heard a yawn from halfway across the room, and my eyes shot open. I mutely panicked and ran out the door as fast as I could and out of Marshal's house. I didn't stop running until I got back to my house and I slammed the door shut and locked it tight.

**Marshal's P.O.V.**

I yawned, but then I heard footsteps running out the door. I ignored them and got out of bed. But then I saw something on the floor that nearly made me faint.

The album titled "Memories" that I refused to ever show to anyone.

_Adelaide… saw my notes…_

I was just awestruck. What would I do if I saw her? She'd probably laugh at me and make me move to another town again. _I can't go through that again…_

I ran out the door with my megaphone **(A/N: If you don't play Animal Crossing: New Leaf, basically you use the megaphone to find people without having to search everywhere)** and looked everywhere for Adelaide. But just like with Kaia, I knew there would be no reply.

**Author's Notes:**

**Kind of a weird chapter. But if you want to know how Kaia looks exactly, look up Kaia animal crossing and click on the art section. She's a little ways down, but you should be able to find her.**


	6. Hello

**Hello, everyone.**

**I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry for not filling you guys in.**

**I kept putting this off, and saying, "Another day won't hurt," but now I've realized it's been too long.**

**I am going on hiatus. Not just this story, but I'm putting my entire account on hiatus. I don't come on here anymore, and the only reason I ever started my first story was because I had wanted to for a while and I had a month off from school.**

**The truth is, back when I first started writing these stories, I had an obsession with Animal Crossing because New Leaf had come out only a few months before. But now, I've lost interest in not only the stories I'm writing about the game, but also the game itself. I just don't care for it anymore.**

**I'm sorry if this causes any trouble for anyone (which I doubt, because my account is HIGHLY unpopular), but this is just the way it's going to have to be. I don't know if I'll come back later this year, sometime next year, or even if I'll come back at all.**

**If you still want to find me, I have an account on Quotev that goes by the same account name: Tara the Runaway. I write stories mostly on there now, and I'm afraid that that's where I'll be staying.**

**Thank you to the people who read, liked, and contributed to my stories. You guys made me really happy.**

**-Tara the Runaway**


	7. It's Only Fair

**WHHHOOOAAA. I don't even know what to say, other than to apologize a thousand times.**

**It's been F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Here's another chapter!**

**I'm sorry. What I did was wrong. I haven't posted a chapter to this story in more than a year. Believe me when I say that it was for more than one good reason. I'll try my best to update when I have time to, and I'll try to make the chapters a little longer than they have been. Now, onto chapter six!**

**Chapter Six**

**It's Only Fair**

**Luna's P.O.V.**

I paced back and forth, my hand pressed to my head. It was a habit of mine that I did when I was thinking, and trust me, there was a lot to think about right now.

Marshal was waking up when I had darted out of his place and back to mine, so there was no way he wouldn't see that I had gone through his things and read about his past. But what was he feeling? Anger? Betrayal? Humiliation? None of those sounded good.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door. I froze in place, and instinctively turned to stare at it.

"Adelaide... it's me, Marshal," I heard through the door. "Please, open up."

_Well, he definitely sounds distressed..._ I thought. I couldn't help but feel worried about him. Despite thinking it might be a bad idea, I walked over to the door with gentle footsteps and slowly pulled it open, where Marshal was standing and staring at me with saddened eyes.

_He looks so heartbroken... And it's all my fault..._

"Adelaide..." he whispered. "Please, let me explain."

"Why?"

He stared up at me with wide eyes. "What did you say?"

I weakly smiled at him. "You shouldn't have to explain something to that obviously pains you, unless you want to," I declared. "Why would you think you would need to?"

Marshal blinked, as if he was surprised – or maybe even shocked.

"Here, come in," I said, gesturing through the doorway. "It probably isn't too comfortable to be standing out there."

Marshal still had a confused look on his face, almost like he had expected this to go horribly. But I had a feeling that he knew that, so I didn't bring it up. We both plopped down onto the couch that I had shoved towards the back of the room. Taking a deep breath, I finally said what I had been thinking about saying since he ended up at my door.

"Well, since I stumbled into your past, it's only fair that you get to know about mine."

I had thought that Marshal couldn't have looked more surprised than he did a few minutes ago, but somehow, he managed to do just that. His jaw dropped to the floor, and his eyes practically popped out of his sockets.

"W-Wait, hang on!" he stammered, shaking his head and flailing his tiny arms around. "You don't have to do that! It's not that big of-"

"But I want to," I stated calmly. "It's the right thing to do."

Marshal opened up his mouth to say something more, but he closed it and instead sighed. I was a very persistent person, and I guess he realized that and gave up. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to speak.

"I was four... when my mother beat me for the first time."

Immediately, Marshal gasped, and I sent him a reassuring smile to tell him, _I'm okay_. I continued on.

"Shortly after, my father beat me for the first time. My father had a strange condition where he had no control over his actions, so I could find it in my heart to forgive him, but I believe that my mother beat me purely because she hated – no, because she _hates_ me."

I took a quick glance at Marshal, who was gazing at me sympathetically with a sad look on his face. I couldn't help but cringe.

_The last thing I wanted was to hurt him,_ I thought to myself.

"At school, I wasn't popular, but I wasn't bullied, either," I told him. "I was simply ignored. It may not sound that bad, but I hated my life the most when the teachers said "we needed to work with classmates" on an assignment, because I was always the one that no one remembered or cared about."

A tear slipped down my cheek, but I smiled in an attempt to convince Marshal – to convince _myself_ – that I was fine.

"My father worked long hours, so he usually wasn't home to take care of me when he was in his right mind. Around the time that I turned nine, my mother stopped feeding me and left me to scrape up what food I could manage to find. It was awful."

I moved my lips to go on, but they only trembled, and I couldn't say another word. A waterfall of tears slid down my face uncontrollably, and I felt so... _embarrassed_. I hadn't realized that I was so weak.

_I hate myself, _I thought._ I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate –_

I was dragged out of my thoughts when I felt something warm on my shoulder. My head snapped to the left, and Marshal's hand was resting sympathetically on my shoulder.

"It's okay," he whispered with a small, kind smile on his face. "We all have our weaknesses."

Tears still cascading down my face, I managed to smile back at the white squirrel.

_So this is how it feels, huh..._ I realized.

_This is how it feels... to be loved..._


End file.
